Costa Rica was another trip over Thanksgiving. Four of us went on a self guided tour with a rental car. We flew into San Jose and the next morning drove to La Fortuna, near the Arenal Volcano. The drive out to La Fortuna was beautiful. The area around La Fortuna is filled with wildlife and amazing views. We tried to fill the days with lots of fun things in nature. We went on a nature raft float trip, zip lining at the base of Arenal Volcano, visited some hot springs, visited Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges, and hiked to Rio Celeste Waterfall in Tenorio Volcano National Park. La Fortuna is a really neat town with shops and great restaurants to choose from.
From La Fortuna we drove to Manuel Antonio. When they say the roads in Costa Rica are exciting, they are serious. Our only mishap was my navigation to Manuel Antonio, we turned onto Rt 713 which in hindsight and with goggle affirmed the harrowing experience and that another route would have been better. After Rt 713 we stopped at Tarocoles Bridge, also known as Crocodile Bridge, and they were definitely there. In Manuel Antonio we stayed at a hotel that monkeys visit twice a day. We hiked to beaches and explored the town. We also really enjoyed a kayaking trip through the Mangroves where we also saw a lot of monkeys.
